Sloppy Zhang

There is no normal. However, there is a perception of normal, and people try to fit that perception, which they think other people have. Likewise, other people try to fit into the perception of normal. Everyone thinks that they are weird, and that nobody else has anything to hide. When in reality, everybody is hiding their true selves, true thoughts, true feelings, true preferences, etc etc. Nobody will admit it. People don't like to be called out on it. I agree. .... huh? If you have to read about them, it means you don't know them. You get them through personal experience, observation, trial and error. Exactly, sometimes it's true, sometimes it isn't. You can't just say, "oh yeah, she's crossed her arms, she's pissed" and "well she's flipping her hair, she wants some action". You've gotta look at everything that's going on. And some people just can't do that. That's kind of the idea. People have varying degrees of realization about how the process is working, and how they are going about it. Some people learn the process and manipulate it. Like guys trying to pick up girls. Or girls trying to pick up guys. That's why you DON'T make generalizations. You read each situation as it happens. Fixed that for you. And as much as I would like that to happen, it isn't going to happen any time soon. So you just have to figure out what it is you want out of life. Do you want to not care, do what you do, and not give a flying fuck about what other people think? Or are you going to beat yourself up every time you see some dude out with some hot chick, having sex, getting a successful life, just because other people can't see he's a jerk and the only reason everybody likes him is because he's playing the system, all because that's not the life you have because you aren't a sucker?

But that's not inherently the fault of video games. That's the result of obsessive behavior and addictive tendencies. Video games just happen to be what they latched on to. It'd be much more fruitful to figure out how those people got into that position, rather than sit here and say, "some dude play starcraft so long that he died, video games must be bad!"

You have to know when people are being serious, or if they are role playing some kind of fantasy, or if they've got some kind of mental conditioning in which they actually attach to their abuser. And unless you are able to correctly interpret what people are ACTUALLY saying (through more than just verbal), then you aren't in a very good position to accurately see what's going on. So I think you should talk to somebody to see if they can figure out if you've got a brain which doesn't interpret social cues in the way that many other people do. I also think you should talk to someone about where your ideas come from, and how you view yourself in relation to those ideas. I also think it's very, VERY important for you to remember that there is no such thing as "normal". It's impossible for you to sit here and say, "this is what women are attracted to", "this is how men should behave" and vice versa. Too many people, too many preferences.

Well, Non, I hate to break it to you, but that's how it is. There is a lot more to communication than what is just verbally being said, and it's just a fact that there are some people who have a harder time picking up on that than others, and they suffer for a long time with it if they don't know what's going on. So you need to find out if that applies to you. Yes. When you are born into a society, or if you move into a society, there are unspoken rules that people just assume you know. And if you break those rules, they will look down on you. This is why foreign relations is an important field, because what's good to you might be terrible for other people, and if you don't understand this, it is not going to be fun for you. It's not deception, because it's SHARED. Each person is supposed to know about it. You're supposed to know if someone is actually saying, "you're a stalker" or are just teasing you for always bumping into you! So, again, Non, WHAT IS IT YOU WANT? This whole system seems to really bother you, despite the fact that you don't like it and claim you don't want to be a part of it. Yet this seems to bring you a great deal of pain, and it seems you've had some greatly painful experiences in the past. I really think you need to (and in a way, are trying to) reconcile your own opinions with what's going on in society. And I'm trying to tell you that one option might just be that you aren't wired to get what everyone else is doing. Getting a professional to say one way or the other would really, REALLY help. So why do you keep trying to increase your penis size, complain about how you'll never get anywhere in life because you're too yin, or because other people don't understand you and judge you down? If you're fine, why do you start a thread like this every other week? If you're fine, why have you made multiple comments which suggest you are considering suicide? It just doesn't add up.

As evidence by the part in bold, women have expectations of men, and men have expectations of women. Growing up in society, various things (friends and family, entertainment, life experiences, etc) tells you how you are supposed to perform your gender roles. People expect the things they have been told to expect. When they meet someone who breaks the mold, they are uncomfortable, so they desperately try to fit that mold, thinking that everyone "should" fit that mold, when guess what? NOBODY FITS THE MOLD! It's the greatest lie that anyone has ever told, and it's marketing 101- make everyone think that everyone else is behaving a certain way, even if nobody else is going a certain way. I've had a few political science classes, where you look at polling data vs. government decisions. Initial polls show people behave a certain way, but suddenly all the newspapers make articles saying, "America thinks the other way", so everyone thinks everyone else is thinking the other way, so they think the other way too! AND IT'S ALL A LIE! NOBODY fits the mold, and even if you talk to the most stereotypical person you can think of, you'll find that to be the case. But guess what? YOU'VE GOT TO RELATE TO THEM ON THEIR TERMS! I've met plenty of women who'd be considered "air heads", who just color their hair a certain way and do their make up just so, but when you talk to them, they actually have quite a bit going on up there, but they don't ever let anybody catch on, because that's not how they're "supposed" to act. But to get to that point you've gotta get them to a point where they feel comfortable opening up, where they feel like you aren't going to judge them for that, where they feel like you can both relate on the level you are "supposed" to relate to, where they don't feel like they're taking too big of a risk, because most people don't like taking risks, they like to stay in their comfort zone!!!! Seriously, I don't know how many more ways I can articulate this point......

Did it ever occur to you that YOU are being the rude one? You understand that people are doing what they are trained to do by society, you understand that most of them do not have a handle on straightforward honesty, and then you FAULT them for that? YOU are actually being quite insensitive to THEM, because YOU are acting like, "oh, well I know the real truth, this is how you should live your life, this is how you should meet people, if you can't conform to my standards, then you don't deserve to be in a relationship with me." I see this attitude a lot in the posts that are like, "I can't get along with the rest of humanity, I just want to go away and be a hermit" and blah blah blah. It's like, what happened to compassion? What happened to connecting with fellow human beings? What happened to helping one another? I've found that while, over the course of my practice, I have found myself changing a bit, I've also found myself understanding the mechanisms by which other people behave, because I disassemble the ones that govern my actions. And when I do so, I can't hold contempt for those people, because I know that what I'm experiencing doesn't even cross their mind. Rather than giving up on them, I instead make an effort to interact in such a way that they'll understand, to help them see another way of living and acting through their lens. I am not suggesting that anyone take part in deceit. I am not suggesting that someone compromise their morals, or compromise the integrity of another person, just to get laid. I am suggesting that people get down off their high horse, see how people are actually living, and see how you can connect to people IN THE REAL WORLD! +1 +1 And given that through various means of socialization, people have gotten to a point where being direct can be, at the very worst, wrong, and at the very best, highly uncomfortable, you've got to be able to relate to them, and make them comfortable. Even if the person likes you, if you rock their world too much, they're going to feel uncomfortable around you, they're going to feel like they can't get a handle on you or the situation, and they are going to pass on you. Take their feelings into consideration, try to see it through their perspective, and act in such a way that it makes them comfortable to ease into the situation.

You can't take the habits of a few people and generalize them to many others. People can become addicted to everything. While some substances are truly addictive, other things become addictive because of reinforced habits and thought processes of the people going through the process. People can become addicted to alcohol, pornography, sex, eating, not eating, exercising, sleeping, adrenaline, and I'm sure someone can think of a lot more. Somewhere in that list was a few good things- eating and exercise are things that can dramatically HELP the body, but if abused, can lead to great harm. We shouldn't be looking at the target of the addiction (in all cases), rather, we should look at the lifestyle choices which turn something from a hobby or life necessity to a danger. You find what you want to find. If you think that you lose a bunch of energy after ejaculation, then I bet you're going to feel pretty damn out of it when you try to workout 15 minutes later, and swear up and down about how it's the fault of you ejaculating. If you expect to feel frazzled after playing 15 minutes of video games, I bet you'll swear up and down that all the violence and sedentariness is the cause of your scattered chi fields. This is just ridiculous. Once more I will repeat: it would be much more helpful to investigate and remedy the PROCESS by which people become addicted to ANYTHING. Otherwise we're gonna start having 12 steps for video games, eating, and risk taking. It fundamentally goes against the goal of, at least what I've seen, many types of healing methodologies (which includes the Taoist kind), and that is examine the CAUSE, not the SYMPTOMS. Video games are not the CAUSE of addiction- something else is, and some people manifest addiction to video games, and sometimes to other things. If you can't distinguish between reality and fantasy, you've got bigger issues. Video games cannot be faulted for human failures any more than knives can be blamed for murder. So maybe children shouldn't be playing violent video games. Seriously, my parents were pretty strict when it came to enforcing what me and my siblings were playing, and even when I was old enough to play the more violent video games, I wasn't allowed to even bring them in the house because of my younger siblings. Once we got to the point where we could all distinguish between reality and fantasy, then it was no big deal. Once again, it's the same type of argument that has been put forward with violent movies, controversial books, music videos, and the like, "oh, think of the children, what will the children think when they see naked women and people getting decapitated?" Oh, I dunno, why the hell are you letting children watch that stuff in the first place???? Not all of it is meant for children!!! Video games can't be blamed for bad parenting, or the emotional and mental immaturity of whoever plays it (and this can stretch on to adulthood). It's not the video games fault that you decided to play for 6 more hours instead of going to work- that's YOUR fault for making poor decisions! We can also turn on the news and see Muslims killing people. I guess we should do something about that Islam, it's really a problem for the children. Oh and let's not forget the Westboro Baptist church, those damn Christians and their fag-hating ways, what are we going to do about them? Oh, that's right, I saw another black person try to shoot somebody, I guess we should get rid of all those people, they're just a problem. But the real problem is the Mexicans. Half of 'em aren't even registered, and each time I see the news it's another Mexican. And don't even get me started about that guy in Arizona during that shooting. That boy was into something called lucid dreaming- apparently he had delusions of grandeur, and thought he could do whatever he wanted to people in real life because life was nothing more than one big dream! People who practice things like that are not safe, and we should do something about it. I hear those buddhists think that nobody even exists at all, so what's to stop them from going on a rapin' killin' spree???? Something should be done about this! [/sarcasm] You can't pick out the traits of a couple of bad apples, which can be applied to THOUSANDS of people equally, and single them out as the cause for deviant behavior. Instead, once more, you must look at the process which take traits which would otherwise be harmless, and twists them to something harmful. So just curious: how many people think rock music is harmful to "the children"? don't you just wish you could go back to the good ol' days when it was the Beatles who were poisoning our youth?

No. But people are told that enough that they start to believe that.

Things like turns of phrase, innuendo, body language, particular behaviors, and things like that. Sometimes it kind of is. And it's hard enough with just one culture. You get cross cultural situations, mixing signals, and everything, and you can be in for a lot of confusion. I hate to break it to you, Non, but people AREN'T normal. There is NO SUCH THING as normal. There is no one set standard for how to talk to somebody. It takes people a long time to figure out what to do and what not to do. And guess what? Times change. What was appropriate five years ago may no longer be appropriate now. It takes trial and error, and the ability to GET OVER MISTAKES, and MOVE ON. Seriously, Non, have you been diagnosed with anything? Because if not, I highly suggest you get yourself checked out. Because depending on the people involved, and the type of flirting, it could *seem* like boundaries are being crossed. The whole "no doesn't really mean no" thing only applies if it's consensual flirting and you're picking up on the cues, because sometimes there is a "no, seriously, stop" being issued. And if you can't pick up on it, that means trouble. So, I suggest you find out, because that would help a lot. There. Is. No. Normal. Period. Everyone is different.

Perhaps you should take a look at The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (especially the PC version, which includes the software to make modifications to the game). Great stuff. Even if you don't manually edit the content of the game, there is no boundary, wherever you can see, you can go. Design of the character, well that's pretty limited (can be changed, though). And you can choose to play the game how you want, and that can include non-killing Well first of all, if kids are only doing video games, that sort of a problem. Excesses of anything can be dangerous. So to say that video games can lead to deviant behavior if that's all kids play is kind of a moot point...... On top of that, the sort of argument you put forward here has been put forward for as long as parents have been around- "if they see it in movies, they'll think that's how real life is!" "If they read it in books, they'll think that's how real life is!" "If they see it on stage, they'll think that's how real life works!" Learning to distinguish between reality and fantasy is important, and if you can't do that, you have a problem, which again makes the point against video games moot, as anything presented to someone who can't differentiate is going to be dangerous. Well there are a lot of ways you can respond to that. You can get all esoteric- computers are 1s and 0s, kind of like how the universe is yin-yang. You can get a bit more mechanical, that even in the most beautiful music you can find mathematical quantities, and even in the most elegant words, you have the rules of the language. And you can get downright mechanical, computers are just tools that we use to manipulate the emotions and thoughts of others, same as words and music. The mathematics behind the wavelengths of sound that give us music, and the light which gives us art, have in no way limited us from acting within our human design. No reason why games, which can integrate many of those components at once, would stop us. Perhaps you're too quick to judge. I'll take a game like Halo, which is pretty popular and well known. In the context of the game, the enemy aliens have a religion, which has dictated that humanity is a blight on the universe and must be extinguished in order for them to on a journey to their religious salvation. So within the context of the story, you're a super soldier who is one of the only few who can stand toe to toe with the aliens, and you kill them because that's what you have to do. Or it might be less poetic- he understands it is a game, there is no "diplomacy" option in the toolbar, so he just does what he has to do within the rules of the game. Away from the game, why would he apply the same logic? It's not in the game, so why would game rules apply? If a person can't even get that far, then it's not just video games that they shouldn't be handling..... Yeah we should all just directly experience the unspeakable divine. As do I. After all, when they consider that they might have to live life like in Fallout 3 if there's ever a nuclear holocaust, they'll realize how much that sucks and how they want to avoid it! But I suppose they could learn that lesson from watching the classic "Mad Max"? Which would be better, because then they couldn't get confused and think that they should behave that way in real life.....

I've played video games a lot since I was a kid (severe drop off since I got into college), and I significantly credit that for the development of my creativity. Just as a form of entertainment, it's a lot different than movies, television, books, plays, concerts, etc, because you are invested in the story. You control when, and, depending on the game, even HOW the story progresses. Your actions and investments through the character contribute to their character development, just as much as the plot, so a scene from a game can hit you just as hard, if not harder, than scene from a movie or other form of entertainment. In terms of child development, I've seen some research (no links readily available, I did a research project on the subject way back in high school) which indicates that it provides a safe zone for children to experiment with, learn, and develop social cues and interactions. Similar to having an "imaginary friend", it lets them role play living life. If they screw up and make a mistake, no big deal. No judgment, no repercussions. On top of that, it encourages and develops unique problem solving skills, and can help with reading comprehension and spatial thinking. Then there's stuff like hand eye coordination, but that and other things can cover for all age groups. As for the topic more directly related to the original post, I can see it (though to what extent, I suppose it depends on the situation). Most people are just never going to do something like, say, enlist in the military. But playing a first person shooter game is a very fun way to compete with friends. It builds just as much camaraderie as playing a game of pick up basketball, but isn't so fragile to sudden changes (like what if the courts are all washed out, covered in snow, too crowded, etc). Only thing you really gotta watch out for is power outages, and if playing long distance, internet connection. And that's the other appeal as well- you aren't constrained by distance. You can play with your friend one state over just as easily as you can play with a friend five states over. Now as with all things, moderation is key, and appropriate amounts are going to be different depending on the person and situation. As with anything else, you can take it too far, or you can abstain completely, and miss out on some potentially very good experiences. The increase in the amount of digitization of experience, however, is occurring on all fronts- look at internet social networks, internet being used to conduct and manage business, video games being used to entertain as well as to simulate. Some new concerns arise, some other concerns fall, some concerns just change shape. It's a new playing field, and sometimes that bothers people. It's not better or worse. Just different.

I'm not going to delete the rest of my post, but I want you to see this first, because it occurred to me in the middle of writing: Have you been diagnosed with something which would affect your ability to understand social cues? Because a lot of things you mention seem to hinge a lot on social cues, for instance, knowing when a woman is flirting, and knowing when a woman is ACTUALLY saying "no, stop". If you can't understand these, and been burned in the past, then I can understand where some of your positions come from. Furthermore, if you see other people doing it and getting away with it, it'd only further your conclusion. It's just that there are a lot of subtle nuances to interaction with society. It takes years, many mistakes, and heaps of embarrassment, to find out what you can and cannot do, even if you don't have any different brain functions. I think it's crucial you seek a professional to get it checked out, because it might aid your understanding of where your thoughts are coming from. Sorry if it's an unfounded assumption! Non, at a certain point you are going to have to come to grips with certain facts about living in the culture of the United States: 1) women are socialized to be passive- some women break out of this, but not that many, and even the ones that do, often do so only in a few limited areas. EXAMPLE: I was taking a class when this girl who I had casually met in a previous semester walked in. I looked over her way, she looked over mine. We were only a couple seats away, well within a talking distance. I was pretty sure it was her, but wasn't totally, so wanted to see if she would say anything. We exchanged glances at each other for the duration of the 40 minute class. After, we were walking outside, and I saw her, and she saw me. I figured I'd go ahead and ask, so I was like, "hey, weren't you in my...." and she was like, "YES, anthropology, oh my gosh, I thought it was you, and wanted to say something all class......" And our conversation continued, but the point was, even though she wanted to say something, even though she DID recognize me (as evidence by her testimony and 40 minutes of looking at me....) she didn't say anything, and waited for me to make the first move, waiting for me to show interest in following up with her. After that, it gave her the "ok" to go on and talk, and things went on from there. The point is, sometimes you have to make the first move, and sometimes women expect you to make the first move. It's not a judgment or anything, it's just the way EVERYONE (men and women) have been socialized. You aren't going to change it, so try to understand it. Learn the rules. Play by the rules. Win by the rules. In a perfect world, she'd have come up to me just as easily as I came up to her, and started talking. But that didn't happen. So I did something, and no one cared. 2) you can be forward and confident without being arrogant and dominating. I've said this tons of times. Confidence does not mean being a jackass. You can be determined to get what you want without steamrolling everybody. I think you need to see a therapist. You've got some ideas that are pretty far out of touch with reality. And the reality is, well, humans are sexual beings. Women want to feel like guys want them. But guess what? Men want to feel like women want them. There is no shortage of gals who will dress provocatively and say and do a number of things to get guys drooling over them, get them to buy them a few drinks, take them out to dinner, maybe they'll get physical, maybe not, and most likely not form any long term relationship. They just want a meal ticket, and aren't afraid to put out or tease a guy for a little while. But there is the reverse: there are plenty of men who are willing to wine and dine a woman just to get her in bed, and even if there is no relationship, even if they are just using the girl, they don't care, 'cause they got laid. So guess what? Both the guy and the girl just used one another. But guess what? As often as that happens, YOU CAN'T GENERALIZE THAT TO EVERYBODY! There IS. NO. NORM!!! Plenty of men and women find such behavior disgusting and juvenile, and want no part in it. So as much as you can look and find it happening, you can just as easily look and find healthy relationships happening. Which is why I think you need help. You are homing in on a select few lifestyles and generalizing that to be the entire way the world works. And that's just wrong. 1) don't go after younger chicks and you won't be called a pedo 2) don't get physically into a woman's personal space, and don't use blatantly suggestive things, and you won't be called a rapist or pervert 3) don't follow some chick around and always call her every once in a while or memorize her schedule or always happen to be exactly where she is, and she won't call you a pervert, or a creep. Non, I've got to ask you something: have you been diagnosed with any type of disorder that prevents you from picking up on social cues? Because even for people who are fine, it's hard to learn when to do things and when not to do things. Every once in a while I'll run into a girl too often, and she'll go, "ewww, are you stalking me??" (the ones who say it are usually pretty immature, but still). Kind of a harsh thing to say, and sometimes it's just a turn of phrase, but sometimes you really just run into someone every so often, and it comes up. And you're just like, "haha, no." and MOVE ON. But, you know, if there's a girl you DO like, and you may know where she might happen to be at certain times, there IS such a thing as too often, you know, gotta give people some space. But it's a very delicate social edge, and it can be hard to pick up, harder if you've got something else going on with you, which is why I just have to ask. The ONLY time in which I can conceive of this happening is if there is some mutual flirting going on, which both parties escalate. In which case, you MUST be able to correctly read the cues. And if you've got something which prevents you from doing this, then you're going to run into trouble. Don't take comedy too seriously. Social cues, mate.

In many cultures, warriors were supposed to cultivate virtue. So, you know, the "good guy" was the "strong guy". Someone who didn't abuse his strength (like an uncivilized bandit), but who acted justly. But yeah, stop thinking. Do something productive.

Challenge her. Tell her if she wants you to cum, she's going to have to squeeze it out of you. She's going to have to get you to climax, and then keep going until you just can't physically stop yourself from spraying all over. Fun way to get you both into it. She's got a goal to work towards, and you can test your resolve. Just don't take it so seriously, and try to enjoy it along the way

Sounds awesome! Well if you type fast, then it's not really a problem

Tell me about it!

I'm flattered that you'd ask my opinion! Short answer: Well I can't say for sure, and honestly don't have a solid opinion one way or the other. Long answer: Keeping in mind that I don't keep up to date with every new scientific discovery, breakthrough, and theory, to my knowledge, nothing like those sorts of energy fields have been scientifically connected to humans (I guess you could talk about bio-electricity and stuff like that, but I don't know much about how that works, and if it's really a one to one correlation). Anyone with anything interesting to share, feel free to do so! However, sometimes when working with certain systems, or trying to get something done, or trying to explain stuff, it's convenient to adopt a model. But when doing so you make assumptions. Sometimes it's just one or two, sometimes a few more. So assuming kundalini energy is real, and assuming energy fields are real, a practice which encourages the healthy and balanced handling of that energy, and a practice which ensures stable, healthy, strong energy fields, that don't leave you vulnerable to negative influences, would probably suit most people more than a practice which leads to an out of control kundalini and energy fields with gaping holes in them. Now do they actually exist? Or are they just an elaborate metaphor to describe mental processes, which the mind attaches to and uses to generate some kind of worldview? Who knows. But if you keep going with that line of thought, then nothing really exists, it's all just mental constructs, but then it's pretty damn hard to talk about stuff like we're doing, isn't it? Kundalini energy and energy fields might not actually exist, but be a useful model which the mind can use to piece together different sensations and mental projections, keep them all in order, and maintain health. Or, they may actually exist, but exist in such a way that most of us cannot readily perceive. So my position is just be aware of all the possible explanations, and even if one starts to make a lot of sense and be useful (like say you start to raise kundalini yourself), keep in mind that you might still just be engaging in elaborate mental gymnastics.

I've given up on trying to get people to actually put up, because it never really works, just more and more excuses and rhetoric. I've been working daily to try to develop something that actually works reliably, which would meet the most modest demands of any scientific study. Hundreds of trials with zener cards over the past 5 years, meticulous records kept, no significance. Meticulous journals about the events of my day, thoughts and things like that, compared with various spots of deja vu and synchronicity. Nothing significant. 7 years of daily dream journals (I was recording dreams before I actually got into spirituality, metaphysics, and trying to find out the truth behind "powers"), comparing them to later events in journals, trying to see if there were any messages, and anything else you can imagine that can be associated with dreams. For the past 5 years (since I started at the age of 16 really trying to develop myself and find out the truth about this stuff), I've kept my practices to methods that, from my perspective, I consider to be as complete as possible. These methods and techniques usually address, in some way, shape, or form, the totality of human experience- spirituality, energy work, sex, mental chatter, physical health, etc etc. Not a lot of systems out there which are all around good. Even fewer who actually promise (or even suggest) the development of powers and abilities. I've tried most of them, and most of them either didn't work, or just didn't seem right for me. Of course, seeking out advanced practitioners in those practices to get them to talk about experiences and abilities, and potential for demonstrations, didn't really turn up much besides the same old rhetoric. So I've been a busy little bee, but don't have much to show for it. There's a lot of crap out there which prevents someone from even FINDING a system which isn't a bunch of shit. It's why I'm such an advocate for masters and those of accomplished ability to actually step forward and demonstrate their skills. Because as it stands now, a legitimate teacher can put a flier in the paper, and they would be indistinguishable from a fraud putting out a flier out there. If you'd ask them to demonstrate their abilities, they'd probably tell you a whole bunch of stuff about how it's not about powers, but inner peace, blah blah blah. And guess what? The fraud would too! Except one person would have a legitimate, healthy practice, and the other, at best, would have a practice that doesn't screw you up after years of study. To date I've spent a couple of thousand dollars of personal expenses on gathering material on potentially legitimate practices, which is no small sum when you consider other things a college student has on their plate (tuition, books, rent, etc). I'd estimate about 70%-80% of that was wasted, and turned out to be stuff that was either fluff, or was provided in a better form by other material. I've spent hundreds of hours in personal practice. So it's not like I'm sitting around doing nothing.... oh, wait, to my college age peers, that's exactly what I'm doing! (here's a shout out to Non- I've got friends who think I'm gay or a super introverted virgin because some of them have never seen me even talk with a woman!) And at this point I must inform you about the line that I draw, which is between interesting subjective, personal experiences, which cannot be replicated (at least on demand.... yet), which may pique my interest, and the types of thing which can be replicated on demand in a shared subjective manner (because many people get all hung up on the word "objective", so I'm meaning stuff I can show people that they'd find to be "real"). Despite all the interesting personal stuff, nothing I can actually show for it (like no hands juggling). Also, in part because of my practice and record keeping, and in part because of my formal education, I'm well aware of all the different types of cognitive bias out there, which, if you aren't careful, can really lead you into nothing but a path of self delusion and fantasy. Which is why I am very careful about things that make me "really feel like anything is possible", because, well, as easy as it could be energy surging through my body up to higher centers, it could easily just be chemicals in my brain. And with no way that I've developed to test them in a shared-subjective (objective, for those who don't get hung up on the words) manner, I don't know for sure. So I recognize their presence, record them, and then move on. If I replicate it, yay. If I don't, eh. If I can't verify it, I can't say one way or another. So I don't say anything at all. Thanks for the consideration, freeform I'm not much of a fan of certainty either. It usually just gets in the way. But that doesn't mean you throw caution and rationality to the wind. You can have an open, yet discerning, mind. Letting go of old, non-constructive habits does not mean that your hands are empty to catch whatever sweet sounding rhetoric comes your way.

Assumptions, projections, and an undying respect and understanding for other paths of life!

Then perhaps one needs to work on becoming at peace with some more things. -O-'s story is exactly the type of anecdotal evidence which I have talked about many times before- it doesn't really form any sort of solid evidence that one can use to form a case for or against. And it still fits as an analogy. You hear a story about no-hands juggling, it piques your interest, but if you pursue it, they shut down on you. So you keep pursuing and pursuing. Sometimes this bears fruits, sometimes not. Not too unlike the friend with the "secret". Once more, I encourage you to detach from the situation, and apply the same logic that you've put to Kunlun to other aspects of life, and see if, when presented with it in another context, you'd actually behave the same way. Assumptions and projections. Oh noes, people would actually find out about something that is FACTUAL? What? They might actually find a practice that WORKS and definitively gets people somewhere? That's obviously not what anyone wants at all!!! (that was sarcasm, by the way) Of course it's not. I never said it was. More assumptions and projections on your part. Assumptions and projections. Seems like much of your findings rely on assumptions and indefinite conclusions. Wonderful. Good to know. I was worried after some of the wording in your previous post.

There's a difference between "don't sleep and "can't sleep". One difference, for instance, is like, "I am energized so don't sleep as much and I can function normally and happily", vs. "I cannot sleep due to my energy practices, and by the end of the next day, I feel kind of frazzled since I have not been able to sleep when I normally do." I think that distinction is important.

So mad scientists eager to dissect your corpse and haters wanting a target and desperate people looking for someone to attach to shouldn't bother you...... Well Max apparently has that, which is such a wonder that we've gotten all the wonder anecdotal stories, and pictures of Kan disappearing. I think you're projecting on to me about what you think I'm projecting on to you.... And again, it's like the friend who comes up to you and says, "oh my gosh, guess what? I have a secret I'm going to tell you!!!!" and then when you express interesting they clam up. That attitude + lack of actual action doesn't do much to bolster the case that anyone can do anything. You're right, in order to spread them to the world, it's much better to hole up somewhere. No, it doesn't. Someone claims to have the keys to enlightenment (and as an aside, not the main course, special abilities) and then shirks at some attention? Again, the friend with the secret example. And the basis for this? Anecdotal testimony? Pretty pictures? An "open mind"? Personal experience of bliss states that convince you there MUST be something more? You're right. One of them exists, and one doesn't. Heheh, it works on all kinds of levels!

Damn, let my guard down. This always happens. People playing with words rather than actually thinking about the point I'm trying to make. Let's try this again- coffee cup falling through someone's dematerializing hand is something that most people do not experience in their most often experienced shared reality, which, while subjective, overlaps with so many other people's that it is reliable enough for them to make decisions based off of that. I'm merely talking about how the process works. Someone has something to provide, they step forward, and meet the skeptics, if the evidence is good, skeptics learn something new. Haters keep hating, but those willing to look at the facts learn something new. But see, it's like that old trick, when someone comes up to you and goes, "oh my gosh, guess what?" and you're like, "what?" and they're like, "oh, nevermind, don't worry about it." And you're like, "no, tell me." They say they aren't going to tell you, but they drop a few lines to get you hooked. Sometimes they tell you something good, sometimes they're just digging the attention. And what part of that scenario made you think that I think an immortal being of light could, or would, control everybody? I just find it odd that an immortal being of light would be afraid of some government spooks with scalpels.

And the point of basketball isn't to get healthy- it's to put a ball in a ring. But you can examine those involved at a professional or college level and see they are great athletes, and that the sport can contribute to being healthy. It's something you can verify. So, again, talk all you want about how the point of various practices isn't about abilities and blah blah blah, it doesn't change the fact that rumors/reports/stories/etc of those abilities ARE being passed around, do seem to be meant to be taken as fact, and, provided they were would, would be quite easy to verify. And yet they aren't... why? "Because that's not the point"? That does not give claims which run counter to years of scientific research, observation, and testing, a pass to not be verified. It also takes a long time to train to run a marathon. But that doesn't stop people from doing it, from sharing the method, and from getting other people to do it. And if Kan and Max and whoever can actually do it, then the length of time it took for them to be able to do it wouldn't matter, because here and how they CAN do it! Professional athletes don't suddenly say they can't perform in front of people because it took them a long time to train to that level of physical fitness, that's just silly. Seriously, try to apply the logic you apply to spiritual teachers to any other field, and honestly try to figure out if you can buy that story yourself.

Bliss and feeling all great - subjective, hard to explain, hard to verify. Turning invisible, dematerializing, having coffee cups fall through your hands - objective, easy to explain, easy to verify. I don't need to initially believe in something for someone to provide me enough evidence for me to start believing. And I think that goes for a lot of people (not all, mind you). All the more reason to keep them up, get them verified, and find out what they really mean. People flip out over UFO photographs and sightings. But some photos can legitimately be connected to known flight patterns of aircraft, and dates and times can be matched. We can find out, through investigation, what photos contain unknown elements and which ones don't. Though you say that the photos were taken down to prevent people from being attached to the desire for super abilities, those types of abilities are frequently described anyway in associated with the practice. So it's a bit... well, it's saying one thing, and doing another. Again- removing photos like that, despite what the vocalized, intended meaning behind it was, also prevented knowledgeable third parties from accessing and examining those types of photos. How are any of these things problems for an immortal being of light??? And if you're an immortal being of light which is one with the infinite universal energy already, what are a few skeptics and hopefuls going to add? Seriously, sometimes you gotta wonder about the rhetoric that's thrown about- one minute someone is an infinite being who has attained oneness with all that is, the next minute they are being concerned about pressure from the government and desperate fans. Are desperate fans and government spooks not included in universal energy?